Auditory device assembly

Abstract

An auditory device assembly ( 1 ) comprises an earpiece ( 3 ) having an audio output device ( 7 ) for an ear ( 9 ) of a user and an audio processing unit ( 11, 33 ). The audio processing unit ( 11, 33 ) has a hearing-test mode and an audio streaming mode. In the hearing test mode the audio processing unit ( 11, 33 ) is arranged to determine at least one ear characteristic of the ear of the user based on at least one hearing test. In the audio streaming mode the audio processing unit ( 11, 33 ) is arranged to output an audio stream via the audio output device ( 7 ). The audio processing unit ( 11, 33 ) is arranged to adjust the output of the audio stream in the audio streaming mode based on the at least one ear characteristic determined in the hearing-test mode.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An audio device for compensating for hearing impairment of a user, said hearing impairment comprising a lack of sensitivity of the ear of the user to at least one missing frequency identified by a hearing test;
 the audio device comprising an audio processing unit operable to:
 receive data identifying the at least one missing frequency, and an input audio stream; 
 identify said at least one missing frequency from the input audio stream; 
 generate at least two harmonics based on each missing frequency; 
 add the at least two harmonics to the audio stream to create an optimised audio stream and 
 output said optimised audio stream; 
 
 wherein the at least two harmonics have a frequency to induce a response in an auditory neural centre at the at least one missing frequency, based on RF frequency mixing theory. 
 
     
     
       2. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one missing frequency comprises at least two missing frequencies. 
     
     
       3. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the input audio stream comprises harmonics of the at least one missing frequency, and the audio processing unit is operable to extract and boost the harmonics. 
     
     
       4. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two harmonics have sum products and said sum products lie at a frequency towards the upper limit of the normal hearing range. 
     
     
       5. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two harmonics have difference products and said difference products are equal to the at least one missing frequency. 
     
     
       6. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two harmonics have sum products and difference products and said sum products and difference products are from RF frequency mixing. 
     
     
       7. The audio device of  claim 1 , wherein the audio processing unit further comprises a hearing test mode for determining the missing frequency;
 wherein, in said hearing test mode, the audio processing unit is operable to output an audio test signal for causing the ear to emit an evoked otoacoustic emission (EOAE) and receive any EOAE if emitted; and determine the missing frequency of a user based on the EOAE or lack thereof. 
 
     
     
       8. The audio device of  claim 7 , further comprising an ear piece comprising an audio output device operably connected to the audio processing unit for outputting the audio test signal to the ear of a user and a sound pressure sensor located at least partially inside the users ear for receiving EOAEs; each operably connected to the audio processing unit. 
     
     
       9. The audio device of  claim 1 , further comprising an ear piece including an audio output device, operably connected to the audio processing unit for outputting the optimised audio stream to the ear of a user. 
     
     
       10. The audio device of  claim 9 , further comprising an external microphone, operably connected to the audio processing unit for receiving sound signals from an environment outside the ear piece and the input audio stream comprises said received sound signals; and wherein the audio device is configured to exclude sound signals from the environment outside the ear piece from the user ear. 
     
     
       11. A method for compensating for hearing impairment, said hearing impairment comprising a lack of sensitivity to at least one missing frequency;
 the method comprising:
 receiving an input audio stream; 
 identifying said at least one missing frequency from the input audio stream; 
 generating at least two harmonics based on each missing frequency; 
 adding the at least two harmonics to the input audio stream to create an optimised audio stream and outputting the optimised audio stream; 
 wherein the at least two harmonics have a frequency required to induce a response at the at least one missing frequency by neural-electrical energy mixing in a listener's auditory centre, based on RF frequency mixing theory. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one missing frequency comprises at least two missing frequencies. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least two harmonics lie at a frequency towards the upper limit of the normal hearing range. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least two harmonics have a difference frequency equal to the at least one missing frequency. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least two harmonics have sum products and difference products and said sum products and difference products are from RF frequency mixing. 
     
     
       16. An audio device for compensating for hearing impairment of a user, said hearing impairment comprising a lack of sensitivity of the ear of the user to at least one missing frequency identified by a hearing test;
 the audio device comprising;
 an audio processing unit; 
 an ear piece comprising an audio output device, the audio output device being operably connected to the audio processing unit, 
 wherein the audio processing unit is operable to:
 receive data identifying the at least one missing frequency, and an input audio stream; 
 identify said at least one missing frequency from the input audio stream; 
 generate at least two harmonics for each missing frequency; 
 add the at least two harmonics to the audio stream to create an optimised audio stream and 
 output said optimised audio stream through the audio output device of the ear piece to the ear of the user; 
 wherein the at least two harmonics have a frequency to induce a response in an auditory neural centre at the at least one missing frequency, based on RF frequency mixing theory.